October greetings!We are starting to feel the Autumn season these days, cooler temps and shorter days are starting to settle in as we get ready for all those classic Fall flavors. We hope you enjoyed the rains last week, we know the farmers sure did, especially farmer Anthony Galpin saying the rains gave his citrus soil a long overdue natural soaking, and cleaning all the dust off the trees. First up for harvest will be a nice crop of his Satsuma Mandarins, likely to be ready before the end of the month! Anthony hopes a few more weeks on the tree and colder temps will really get the sugars fully going and color them-up. Lots of fun citrus varieties from Anthony in the months to come! While he gears up for what’s to be a busy citrus season, he says his Summer stone fruit season has ended and he’s pruned most of his plum, peach and nectarine trees before they go to sleep for the Winter. Summer season staples are still readily available from farms across the region but slowly starting to wane, with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and melons still tasting incredible. This week everything grown within 150 miles of your doorstep and picked fresh! Have a great week.

Thanks for leaving out your flattened “empties” for us to collect and reuse!

Fresh pick-up from Givens Farm this afternoon. John Givens has been growing organic vegetables, berries and melons in the Goleta Valley since 1980, with the mission to give you the opportunity to eat high quality, local Organic vegetables WITHOUT the giant carbon footprint usually attributed to the transportation of vegetables. Fresh for the local communities. The team at Givens Farm uses a ‘shotgun’ approach to planting – not too deep in any one item, but hope to have a broad availability all year ’round.

*Our fresh batch of coffee for October is in! Are you a participant of our coffee-of-the-month- club? Join, and each month receive your SMALL-BATCH coffee, custom roasted for us in Carpinteria. Let us know if you would like us to include a bag or two with your next delivery!

This Week’s Tips:

*Everything can go directly into the fridge except for your sweet onions which can stay on your counter-top. Good idea to give your kale and cilantro a quick hydrating rinse before placing in the crisper.

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SAUSAGE, PEPPERS & ONIONS
INGREDIENTS
• 4 Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or a couple of each)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 bell peppers, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
• 1 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
• 1 small (15 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt to taste
STEPS
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown them slowly. If they sizzle and crackle too much, turn the heat down. You want a gentle browning, not a sear. Cook for several minutes, turning them occasionally so they brown on all sides. When the sausages are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
Increase the heat to high and add the onions and peppers. Toss so they get coated with the oil in the pan and sear them as well as you can, stirring every so often. You want some blackening. Once the onions and peppers soften, sprinkle some salt on them. Once you get some searing on the onions and peppers, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the Marsala or red wine if you are using, and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the browned and blackened bits. Let the wine cook down by half.
Add the tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir well to combine. Add the sausages back in. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft the sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
-Sausage, peppers and onions will keep in the fridge for several days. Serve over polenta, or with penne pasta, or load up in a hoagie roll. Any leftover sauce makes a great sauce for pasta.
*adapted from sunset

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CURLY KALE w/ CARMELIZED ONIONS & QUINOA
INGREDIENTS
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 chopped pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• A pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
STEPS
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, season with salt, and cook until tender and beginning to caramelize.
Rinse and drain the quinoa. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
While the quinoa simmers, rinse the kale and remove the stems from the leaves. Slice the stems as you would a celery stalk. Add the stems and red wine to the onions and sauté until stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Gather the leaves, roll them up, and slice them into ribbons. Add them to the pan, tossing to combine. Once the leaves have wilted slightly (about 4 minutes) add the spices to taste, add the lemon juice, the peppers and toss to combine.
To serve: spoon the cooked quinoa onto your plate, making a well in the middle. Serve the kale and onions on top of the quinoa, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
*adapted form zestfullou

STEPS
GARBANZO BEANS: Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour oil over; cover dish with foil. Roast until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.
KALE:Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, bay leaves, and shallots. Cover; cook until shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover; add half of kale. Toss until kale wilts and volume is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add remaining kale. Toss until kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and cook until kale is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season kale with salt and pepper. Transfer kale mixture to large sieve set over bowl and drain. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Drain garbanzos and reserve oil; discard bay leaves. Combine garbanzos and kale in large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons oil reserved from garbanzos. Toss over medium heat until warmed through, moistening with more oil by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
*adapted from bonappetit

STEPS
Follow directions on how to make my multigrain Mexican rice. While rice is cooking, prepare the other half of the stuffing by chopping onions, one green bell pepper, tomato, and then mince garlic cloves. Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, drizzle pan with olive oil and toss in onions and garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes and then add chopped bellpeppers, tomato, and tomato paste and stir. Add salt and pepper, cover, and cook on low for 5 minutes.
Once rice is done, mix mixture and cooked rice together in a large mixing bowl. The remaining bell peppers can now be prepared for stuffing by chopping off the top of the bell pepper, then removing the stem and the seeds inside. (or cut like the photo above) Place bell peppers into a baking pan standing upright and begin to generously stuff bell peppers with stuffing. Once stuffed, pour 1/4 cup of chicken broth over bell pepper and place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
*adapted from bonappetit

STEPS
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a medium bowl combine eggs, egg whites, cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Separate the stems from the leaves of the kale. Dice the stem into small pieces. Roll the leaves up and slice into thin ribbons, about an 1/8-inch thick.
Heat a 10-inch skillet on low heat; melt half of the butter and add the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly cook the onions, stirring occasionally until the onions become translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Bring the heat up to medium and cook until the onions caramelize. Set the onions aside.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add remaining butter and add the kale stems. Cook about 3-4 minutes. Add the kale leaves to the pan and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low; pour egg mixture into the skillet and add caramelized onions, salt and pepper and mix well to blend. Reduce heat to low and cook until the edges set, about 6-8 minutes. Once the bottom and edges set, place in the oven and bake until completely set through, about 4-5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place a dish over the pan; flip onto the plate. Cut into wedges and serve.
*adapted from lightchef
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SIMPLE ROASTED PEPPERS
INGREDIENTS
• 2-3 peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
STEPS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In large bowl, red pepper, garlic, oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated.
Arrange vegetables in single layer in 15 1/2- by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan. Roast vegetables 20 minutes or until tender.
*adapted from epicurious

STEPS
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, garlic, bell pepper, lemon juice, tahini, paprika and cumin and pulse until the mixture just comes together.
With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until incorporated. Season with salt.
Serve with pita bread or pita chips and crudités for dipping. Makes about 3 cups.
*adapted from mideasteats

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EZ PAN ROASTED BROCCOLI
INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs broccoli

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 Tbs. water

STEPS

Trim and peel the broccoli stems. Cut the florets into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces, and cut the stems on the bias 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick

In a 10-inch (25-cm) French skillet or fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until just golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a small bowl.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the broccoli and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and black pepper. Pour in the water. Cover and steam for about 3 minutes. Uncover, stir and continue to cook until the broccoli is lightly browned and crisp-tender and the water has evaporated, 1 to 2 minute more. Scatter the garlic on top and serve immediately. Serves 4.

STEPS
Check the quinoa package to see if it needs to be rinsed (it often does) and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer if needed. Combine quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.
Drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears. Let beans drain until they are quite dry (or pat dry with paper towels if you want to speed it up.)
Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and cut into very small dice (about the size of the black beans.) Slice the green onions into thin slices and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.
When the quinoa is fairly cool, combine quinoa, black beans, diced red bellpepper, and sliced green onion in a bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients. (You probably won’t need all the dressing, but save the extra to stir into any leftover salad that’s been in the fridge.) Gently stir in the chopped cilantro and serve.
This keeps very well in the fridge for several days. The salad absorbs the dressing when it’s refrigerated, so it’s best with a little more dressing stirred in when you’re eating the leftover salad.
*great to scarf with tortilla chips!
*adapted from bonappetit
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CILANTRO CHIMICHURRI
INGREDIENTS
6 garlic cloves
1cup fresh cilantro
1/2cup chopped onion
2tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2teaspoon dried oregano
1/2teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper